How do i stop this?

[peterj]

I currently work full time, i am at uni, i am making $1900. I currently have $11,000 in my emergency fund. I have a laptop which i owe $1000 on and i have a few thousand left on my car. I am 23 and i feel myself that i am currently comfortable. I have not payed off my items because they are either very very low interest or interest free. Now i love my laptop but i want a macbook. Now there are things in life you just cant have or you need to be happy with what you have. How do if get past this?

[maat55]

The old saying from The Wealthy Barber is: As long as you save 10% it does not matter how poorly you spend the other 90%.

I disagree, you should prioritize your investment goals first, avoid consumer debt, then pay cash for your wants. Unless you are rich, it is better to be wise with every dollar.

[wincrasher]

Self control is the hardest thing of all. Lack of it is the root of most people's problems.

There will always be things you want. That's actually a good thing, because it gives us drive. You just have to learn to be in control of it, and not let the pleasure of today ruin your security for tomorrow.

[creditcardfree]

It is self control, but it does help to avoid reading about the new things...so less tv, less magazines/newspaper, less talk with others about new gadgets, less radio, less or no time at the mall or other shopping outlets.

Trust me, I have seen some cute things advertised recently that I would love to buy...but my goals are dictating otherwise. Oh, and it helps to wait awhile before actually making the purchase. So in your case of the imac...wait 3 months (or other reasonable amount of time) and see if it is still a priority. And don't forget to sell your old laptop, to offset new costs!

[BlackDiamond]

I agree with not learning about new things. Less tv ads, less time spent in stores. You'll find that you want fewer things.

Or find reasons you don't like spending money.

For instance, I used to go to movies a lot. Then I realized…I really don't ENJOY going to them. The other people in the theater are loud, half of them are usually teens who use the theater as their hangout and aren't even there to watch the movie. Then I realized…movies come out for rent usually in 3 months. I can wait that long and catch up on older movies on Netflix in the meantime.

Dining out was the same. I like the atmosphere of restaurants but not the experience of going to a fancy place only to find out that I'm seated next to a family who let their kids run wild, or a person yapping on a cell phone during the meal. So I recreate nice atmpospheres at home and eat in. I took up cooking as a hobby. It's fun and it saves me cash.

Also, find fun, free stuff to do. Tomorrow night, I'm going to see my favorite author. He is giving a free talk at a local bookstore. I've seen him before and he generally talks for over an hour and is very entertaining. Free Friday night entertainment.

[snshijuptr]

I read on someone's blog here about making a wishlist for the items you want. Then put together a savings fund that collects a certain amount of extra money at the end of the month. Every 3-12 months pull out the wishlist and the account balance and buy yourself a treat. You might find that waiting makes you forget why you even wanted these things.

[irmanator]

I read on someone's blog here about making a wishlist for the items you want. Then put together a savings fund that collects a certain amount of extra money at the end of the month. Every 3-12 months pull out the wishlist and the account balance and buy yourself a treat. You might find that waiting makes you forget why you even wanted these things.

I like this idea!!